Gov. Inslee Proposes "Hold-Steady" and "Get-Ready" Budget

Gov. Jay Inslee released a $33.8 billion supplemental budget today.

Gov. Jay Inslee released his supplemental budget proposal for the 2013–2015 biennium today and, he said, to prepare for the upcoming budget challenges of 2015–2017.

His supplemental budget proposal, a $200 million increase over the $33.6 billion budget legislators passed last session, includes $150 million in mandatory spending to maintain current service levels and cover cost increases, including a projected 10,200 increase in K–12 enrollment and 336 more jail inmates by the end of the biennium; funding for wildfire costs; and money for a Medicaid funding shortfall.

"Unfortunately, the economy and our revenue collections are not growing fast enough to keep pace with the costs of maintaining current services, let alone provide the billions of dollars still needed to meet our court-mandated basic educations obligations," he said. "This is a hold-steady budget that keeps us whole the remainder of the biennium, but we'll have to make some tough decisions again next year."

Explaining the upcoming state commitments, he later stoically described his current budget as a "get ready" budget.